Man charged in death of Job Corps student

July 12, 2013

SHENANDOAH JUNCTION - A Virginia man accused of causing the death of a Harpers Ferry Job Corps student last year in Jefferson County was arraigned Wednesday on a warrant charging him with one count of misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter.

As of Thursday, Brian Ghislain Kamga Ngnie, of Arlington, Va., was being held at Eastern Regional Jail on $5,000 bail.

According to court records, the alleged victim, Quadre Najee Christopher, 18, of Wilmington, Del., died Feb. 16, 2012, at the U.S. Department of Labor Harpers Ferry Job Corps Center in Jefferson County.

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Ngnie.

On Sept. 20, 2012, Trooper First Class J.E. Williams of the West Virginia State Police received confirmation through the West Virginia Chief Medical Examiner's Office that Christopher died from a blunt impact to the chest, records show.

Ngnie told police that he and Christopher were shadow boxing immediately prior to Christopher collapsing and dying on the sidewalk just a short distance away, records show.

A third-party witness confirmed the incident between two men. The witness described it as being like shadow boxing but with more force. The punches were to the arms and chest area, Ngnie told police.

Christopher collapsed face down after walking about 200 feet away from where the incident occurred before collapsing a second time and dying, records show.

After speaking with the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, police applied for and obtained the warrant charging Ngnie with involuntary manslaughter.

According to Christopher's obituary, he enrolled in the Job Corps in October 2011 with a desire to become an architect and studied carpentry and construction at the Harpers Ferry Job Corps Center.

If convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Ngnie faces up to a year in jail an fine of up to $1,000.

Ngnie, who is living illegally in the U.S. and is described as a criminal alien, could also be subject to removal from the U.S., according to letter sent to Jefferson County Magistrate Court by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.